The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program by the inventor, Robert Edward Lee. The inventor's intention was to develop Rhododendron hybrid plants with re-blooming characteristics. This new variety, hereinafter referred to as ‘ROBLEZ’, was discovered as a seedling, resulting from the crossing of Rhododendron ‘Red Slipper’, unpatented with the pollen parent Rhododendron ‘Arabesk’, unpatented. The cross resulting in the new variety occurred during 2004. The new variety was selected by the inventor during November of 2007 at a commercial nursery in Independence, La.
After identifying the new variety as a potentially interesting selection, the inventor first organized propagation of ‘ROBLEZ’ by vegetative cuttings Fall of 2007 at the same commercial nursery in Independence, La. The inventor continued controlled testing and propagation, assessing stability of the unique characteristics of this variety. Multiple generations have been reproduced and have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.